Military dog flies into retirement in style

A Camp Pendleton-based military working dog who served three combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan left San Diego Thursday morning to be reunited with her original handler in Finland.

Lucca, an 8-year-old Belgian Malinois, was a specialized search dog trained to detect trace amounts of explosive compounds and warn handlers of their presence. In her role, Lucca made more than 40 confirmed finds and saved the lives of countless Marines during more than 400 patrols over a two-year period.

Lucca served two tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. On her last tour, Lucca was injured from an improvised-explosive device blast and had her left front leg amputated. After her injury, she returned to Camp Pendleton, where she was rehabilitated, said Master Gunnery Sgt. Mark Oliva, a Marine Corps spokesman.

“She is a very friendly dog,” Oliva said.

On Thursday morning, Lucca was flown from San Diego to Chicago and then to Helsinki via American Airlines, which paid for the flight and bumped the dog up to business class, Oliva said.

In Finland, Lucca will be reunited with her original handler, Marine Gunnery Sgt. Christopher Willingham, who is currently serving as the detachment staff noncommissioned officer in charge at the U.S. Embassy in Finland. Willingham teamed with Lucca on her first two deployments.

American provided transportation for Lucca and her current handler, Cpl. Juan Rodriguez, through its partnership with Air Compassion for Veterans, an organization that provides flights for service members, veterans and their families to receive medical and rehabilitative services.